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Game mechanics, homebrew rules, and creativity tools.Wed, 23 May 2018 19:46:39 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngDungeonbothttps://dungeonbot.wordpress.com
5e Character Sheet Remixhttps://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/5e-character-sheet-remix/
https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/5e-character-sheet-remix/#respondFri, 30 Jan 2015 07:57:43 +0000http://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/?p=121Continue reading 5e Character Sheet Remix]]>I really like the official 5e character sheets (downloadable HERE) but I still took a quick pass at remixing what was already there to try to find an even more streamlined layout, hopefully making it easier for new players to learn the game. I also really wanted to have a sheet that was compact and yet with plenty of room for adding additional notes and equipment stats.

What I ended up doing was to remove any space that had to do with spellcasting from the main character sheet. WotC already has a really great, separate sheet for tracking known spells and related info (not only is it better for spellcasters to have the room to track all their spells in a dedicated sheet, but non-spellcasters don’t need spend space to track that kind of information). I also removed death saves since it’s not something that is tracked very often.

Below is the remixed main character sheet. It was all done as a quick prototype in Photoshop so the resolution is not the best it could be but good enough to use as a prototype for play.

Update: Made a slight tweak to the sheet, to clarify Passive Perception.

]]>https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/5e-character-sheet-remix/feed/0centuryeagleSimple Weather Lookup Charthttps://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/simple-weather-lookup-chart/
https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/simple-weather-lookup-chart/#respondMon, 26 Jan 2015 19:47:41 +0000http://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/?p=108As I continue to make my prototype DM screen (alterations to the rather sparse 5e D&D DM screen, see the progress on it HERE), I sometimes create home-brew charts of my own. Here is a very simple weather generator for a traditional 4-season climate.

And here is a vertical version for alternate layouts:

]]>https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/simple-weather-lookup-chart/feed/0centuryeagleweather_lookup_rpgweather_lookup_vertical_rpgTravel for Creatures, Mounts, and Vehicleshttps://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/5e-travel-for-creatures-mounts-and-vehicles/
https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/5e-travel-for-creatures-mounts-and-vehicles/#respondSun, 25 Jan 2015 22:56:17 +0000http://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/?p=79Continue reading Travel for Creatures, Mounts, and Vehicles]]>How fast can the canals of a city be traversed in a rowboat? How long would it take to travel to the next kingdom while riding on the back of a dragon? How long did it take the party to ride the ceremonial elephants from the city gates to the royal palace?

Now includes both the D&D 5e map units version and the English Units version!

I received the official Wizards DM screen for 5e and although I was pleased with the quality of the materials and art, I had the same sentiment that a lot of users have had that it is very light on the crunchy content. I had already been compiling a custom DM lookup chart with info and tables that I find useful from both the PHB and DMG. Sometimes though, I felt a need to create a custom chart that compiles certain information and extrapolates it.

One such chart was the travel pace chart on page 182 of the PHB. The DMG expanded the information on page 242. What I wanted, though, is a chart that would could be referenced to track the movement of the players when they are on mounts or other types of vessels. Using sources such as base speed for creatures and listed mph speed listed for various vessels I created a spreadsheet to lookup travel times across the 3 main scales that 5e uses to track movement: city, province and kingdom.

Here is the chart I came up with. It tries to adhere to the rule of easy math calculations so a lot of the figures are rounded to compute faster approximations.

Fantasy World Travel Movement, D&D 5e Map Units

I hope it’s self-explanatory but here’s a quick example:

Time to distance: (multiply your time by the listed entry) Anna, the Gnome Bard, hops on the back of a friendly manticore and flies due West for 3 hours at normal pace. How far did she get in my hex-based world map? If each hex is 1 mile, look up the row that lists a Manticore and find the number under Province Units per Hour at a Normal pace (in this case, this is 5 units) and multiply this by the hours traveled. Anna has traveled 15 hex spaces, i.e. 15 miles (5 units x 3 hours) to the left of where she started.

One more example:

Distance to time: (divide your distance by the listed entry) The party is riding elephants and travel from the city gates, at a slow pace, up to the center of town (25 spaces) and then east to the steps of the royal palace (15 spaces). How long did the ride take? If each map unit is 100 ft, find the row containing an elephant and get the number under City units per Minute at a Slow pace (in this case this is 3). For each 3 spaces the party traveled, count one minute. The ride took a little over 13 minutes (40 total spaces / 3).

I’ve double-checked the accuracy but if you see something wildly off, have any questions, or would like to see anything added, please comment below.

]]>https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/5e-travel-for-creatures-mounts-and-vehicles/feed/0centuryeaglelookup_table_map_travel_5e_v2lookup_table_rpg_map_travel_v2Fumble Charthttps://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/fumble-chart/
https://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/fumble-chart/#respondMon, 29 Sep 2014 19:12:31 +0000http://dungeonbot.wordpress.com/?p=73Continue reading Fumble Chart]]>Critical hits bring a lot of fun to the table so you would think that critical misses could do the same. D&D now fully embraces a natural roll of 1 to be considered an automatic miss but can anything more interesting also happen? These other possible results are usually referred to as fumbles. Fumble charts are often either praised for how they introduce unpredictability to the game or maligned for being so punitive to the player characters. On paper they sound great but in practice they usually result in doubling the punishment instead of doubling the fun. Let’s see if we can come up with some “interesting failures” for a fumble chart.

I had a few goals in mind when thinking about this chart:

For the DM:

Table should be compact: it shouldn’t get in the way when not in use and fast to reference when needed

You originate from a region of the outer planes but were cast out to and reconstituted in a mortal body, losing all powers and attributes of your previous form but retaining scattered flashes of who you were and of those you knew. Your first memory with your new body is of waking up alone with no material possessions except a few mysterious trinkets, clues to your past.

Cult Member

You are (or were) a member of a secret cult that is devoted, not to a deity, but to an agenda that would be seen as dangerous by the common public. You joined at an impressionable time in your life or were perhaps indoctrinated by birth or through a loved one. If not still a member, you have perhaps fled the cult now that you are no longer in alignment with the cult’s beliefs. The cult has a core agenda that its members are actively pursuing. Choose one from the list below.

Core Agenda

Full devotion to the founder(s) and their idiosyncratic commandments

To expedite or fulfill a particular doomsday prophecy

Bring about the ascension of a revered mortal or planar being to godhood

Periodically incite mass destruction to change the natural order

Secretly infiltrate and manipulate powerful governments

Install the group’s supreme leader as the head of a one-world government

Skill Proficiencies

History, Persuasion

Languages

Choose one Exotic; cult ceremonies and writings are in this language

Tool Proficiency

Poisoner’s Kit

Equipment

Book of Lore, Signet ring (bearing the mark of the cult), Ceremonial Robe, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp.

Feature: One of Us

You know the secret phrases, gestures, and runes that will allow you to covertly greet and identify members of the cult. You know when and where private meetings of the group occur and can attend them if you so choose. Members of your cult are willing to hide and shelter you for weeks at a time. You can inquire about any recent achievements or setbacks the cult has experienced.

Personality Traits

I always try to strengthen unity between all the members of my group

I am very family-oriented and love big clans of people

Unexpected results don’t bother me since I regard most events as pre-ordained

The more hushed a conversation is, the more I try to listen in to it

I am very careful about sharing my beliefs with others

I am often seduced by charismatic people with strong beliefs

Ideal

Conviction. Once you know the truth, you cannot live a lie (Lawful)

Selectivity. One must be tested before being deemed worthy (Neutral)

Purification. The weak and ignorant have no place in the new world order (Evil)

Organization. No one can stop an aligned and committed group (Any)

Sacrifice. There is a hard price to pay for the highest knowledge (Any)

Zeal. The world only changes through explosive events (Chaotic)

Bond

All my accomplishments must be in the service of the main agenda

Those who seek to expose the cult must be stopped (or assisted) at any cost

Cult members sacrificed something precious of mine that I would want back